Opening and closing device



06f. 24, 1939.. G, MADLAND ZTSZS OPENING AND CLOSING DEVICE Filed C. 18,1935 N agis 30 I. Ae u T 2/ 2 v A mi 25 @N TTY Patented Oct. 24,v 1939UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE y OPENING AND CLOSING DEVICE ApplicationOctober 18, 1935, Serial No. 45,632

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in opening and closing device.

Railway house cars are customarily provided with doors slidablysupported for controlling door `5f openings formed in the side walls ofsuch cars.

' The front vertical margin of these doors cooperates with verticalmembers to effect weatherproof construction for said margin in theclosed position of the door. By reason of this cooperation a bindingengagement between said front vertical margin and said members mayoccur, making it difficult at times to impart initial opening movementand final closing movement to said doors.

To overcome this diiiculty devices known as door opening and closing ordoor operating def Vices are utilized. They comprise generally a leverwhich may be pivotally supported on a door and a link supported on arelatively xed member with which the door is associated. The

lever and link cooperate to impart the necessary movements to the door.The lever usually is pivoted so as to assume a vertical position, by farthe greater portion of the lever depending below the pivot or fulcrum toobtain sufficient leverage in the operation of the device.

Such operating devices are conveniently located with respect to theground and the lever may readily be grasped and effectively actuatedfrom the ground. However, railway cars are more commonly loaded andunloaded at platforms provided for this purpose. The oors of theseplatforms are usually at the level of the floors of the railway cars.The sliding doors of these rail- B way cars must, therefore, be openedand closed from the platform. The use of the door operating devicesobviously becomes exceedingly awkward and the securement of theeffective leverage of the lever is diilcult.

It is, therefore, the primary object of this invention to provide a dooropening and closing device for sliding doors capable of easy andeffective operation both from the ground and from platforms. A furtherobject is to provide door opening and closing devices for sliding doorsembodying an actuating lever normally disposed in a vertical position,which device shall be capable of easy and efficient operation both fromthe ground and from loading and unloading plato0 forms. A further objectis the provision of door opening and closing devices for sliding doorsembodying an actuating lever normally disposed in a vertical position inwhich the lever is capable of operation from the ground in one verticalposition and capable of operation from a platform when displaced throughapproximately as Y' effectively as from the ground. A further object isto provide door opening and closing devices for sliding doors embodyingan actuating lever normally disposed in a vertical position and acooperating link member wherein the lever when in its normal verticalposition may be actuated from the ground to exert a substantiallyhorizontal force on the link and, hence, on the door and when insubstantially inverted position, may be actuated from a platform toagain exert a substantially horizontal force on the link and the doorwith equal facility and effectiveness as from the ground. A furtherobject is to provide a self-contained door opening and closing devicefor sliding doors capable of easy and effective operation, both from theground and from platforms without requiring modification or additionalmeans for this purpose. Other objects of the invention will become clearas the description thereof proceeds.

In the drawing forming part of this specification:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary elevation of a pair of cooperating horizontalsliding doors for a rail- Way house car to which an opening and closingdevice embodying the instant invention is applied, the device beingillustrated in position for operation from a platform.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the device in position foroperation from the ground.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the door in partially openposition.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on line 4 4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawing which illustrates a preferred embodiment of theinstant invention, there is disclosed a pair of cooperating slidingdoors, the main door of which is designated by the numeral l0 and theauxiliary door by the numeral Il. lThe doors selected for the purpose ofillustrating the invention are formed of metal. The main door I0comprises a sheet metal panel I2 which is provided with spacedhorizontal corrugations i3 and marginal vertical corrugations, one ofwhich is indicated at i4 and into which the horizontal corrugationsmerge. The marginal portions of the metallic panel l2 are customarilyreinforced by means of rigidifying members, one of such members i5 beingillustrated in Figures 3 and 5 secured to the front vertical margin ofthe door.

The auxiliary door l l is similarly provided with a corrugated metallicpanel i6, the horizontal corrugations of which are indicated at l1 andone of the vertical corrugations being indicated at I8. The frontvertical rigidifying member of the auxiliary door is shown at I9, thismember cooperating with a jamb or post 23 fastened to said margin of theauxiliary door to provide a pocket 2| for the reception of the irontvertical margin of the main door when the doors are in closed position.

In this position of the main and auxiliary doors a binding frequentlyoccurs between the front vertical margins of the doors making itdinicult to impart initial opening movement to the main door and finalclosing movement thereto. It isl yopening movement and final closing'movement to the main door with equal facility both from .the ground andfrom a loading platform.

The construction of the opening and closing device is such that itutilizes a portion of the door locking means. This locking meanscomprises a hasp fastener 22 secured preferably upon a horizontalcorrugation I3 of the main door l0. Rivets 23 are preferably utilizedfor this securement, these rivets passing through a backing member 24disposed within the horizontal corrugation upon which the hasp fasteneris positioned. The hasp fastener 22 embodies a neck portion 25, the freeend 26 of which passes through the eye of a hasp 2 and through themetallic panel l2 Vand the adjacent end of the Vbacking member 24. Thehasp 21 is thus swingably fastened upon the main door l and in order tolock the main and auxiliary doors together is provided with yan abutment28 cooperating with a tapered locking pin 29 secured upon the auxiliarydoor Il for vertical movement. The securement of the locking pin 29 iseffected by means of a lock plate 3i! riveted to the panel IE of theauxiliary door as indicated at 3|, and provided with housing members 32and 33 Within which the locking pin is received. Means not vital to theinstant invention is employed to prevent disengagement and loss of thelocking pin from the lock plate 3B.

The instant embodiment of the invention utilizes the hasp 2l as a partof the door opening and closing device. This device embodies,additionally, an operating lever 31% which preferably is pivotallymounted upon the lock plate 30 for swinging movement in a plane parallelto the plane of the auxiliary door. This pivotal securement of theoperating lever upon the locking plate member is eiiected by means of ahollow boss 35 preferably formed as an integral portion of the lockplate member which extends through an elongated longitudinal slot 36formed adjacent one end of the operating lever. Disengagement of thelever from the boss 35 is prevented by means of a washer 31 larger thanthe slot 36 and secured to the boss by means of a rivet 38 passingtherethrough. The operating lever 34 carries lugs 39 and 49 which aredisposed on opposite sides of and adjacent the slot 36. The lugs 39 and40 are provided respectively with lip portions 4l and 42 by means ofwhich an'interlocking engagement between said lugs and the portion ofthe hasp adjacent an opening43 provided therein and through which eachof the lugs is adapted to extend may be had.

It has been stated hereinabove that the opening and closing deviceembodying the instant invention is eiective in performing its intendedfunction as fully when operated from a platform as when operated fromthe ground. The operation of the opening and closing device from theground in order to impart initial opening movenient to the door isillustrated in Figs. i2 and 3 of the drawing. In Fig. 2 the doors areshown in their fully closed position. In order to impart initial openingVmovement to the main door ill theassociation between the operatinglever 34 and the hasp 2l will bek as indicatedin Fig. 2 of the drawing.As shown, the operating lever 34 lies behind the hasp 2l' and the lug tprovided on the operating lever extends through the opening L33formed'adjacent the free end ofthe hasp. The locking pin 29 is firstraised so as to become disengaged from lthe lug or abutment 23 providedon the hasp. The lower end of the operating lever 3, which constitutesthe` handle end, is then grasped and a force exerted thereon in thedirection of the Aopening movement or the main door.

the hasp and through the hasp to the main door ii'which will then moveaway from `the auxiliary door. The Yposition of the various parts of theconstruction when the door has been given an initial opening movement bythe operation of the opening and closing device is clearly shown in Fig.3 oi the drawing. The hasp 2 may then be released from-the lug it of theoperating lever and the main door it readily moved to its full openpositionif desired.V

Should the need for imparting initial opening This force will betransmitted by virtue of the cooperation between the lug t3 and the hasptoY movement to the main door arise when the car provided with said dooris disposed at a loading platform, the opening and closing device of theinstant invention may be used aseffectively as hereinabove described.For this purpose the lug lill of the operating lever is released fromthe hasp 2 and the lever is then turned in a clockwise direction so thatit assumes an inverted position. In this position of ythe lever the lug39 is extended through the opening 3 provided in the hasp so as toeiiect engagement between said lug and said hasp. YWhen the locking pin29 has been raised to the position shown in Fig. 3

of the drawing, the handle end of the operating lever may be grasped anda force exerted upon the lever tending to turn it in a counter-clockwisedirection, as viewed in Fig. lof the drawing. The lug 39 will then exerta force upon the hasp 2i, which force will bertransmitted to the maindoor and eiect initial opening movement thereof. It is apparent 'that inthe inverted position of the .operating lever 34 as great a force may beas effectively exerted to obtain initial opening movement of the maindoor as when the operating lever is actuated in its normal position fromthe ground. f n

It will be apparent without further detailed explanation that theoperating lever will cooperate with the hasp in the normal and invertedpositions of said lever to obtain final closing movement of the maindoor it. Attention is also invited to the fact that in both the normaland inverted positions of the operating lever it will exert asubstantially horizontal force upon the hasp 2l so that all of saidforce is utilized for the purpose of opening or closing the main door.

The opening and closing device illustrated is shown applied to the twodoors of a railway house car commonly utilized to control a large dooropening provided in a side of such car. Where a smaller opening issatisfactory, a single door will be utilized to control such opening andit is to be understood that the instant invention is as readilyapplicable to single door house car constructions as to the double doorconstruction illustrated. It Will be apparent, moreover, that thepositions of the hasp fastener and hasp and of the lock plate andoperating lever may be reversed; that is, the hasp fastener or hasp maybe fastened to the auxiliary door or to a car side and the lock plateand operating lever may be fastened to the main door or to the singledoor of a railway house car.

It will be apparent that numerous changes and modifications in thedetails of the invention will be clear to those skilled in the art. Itis intended, therefore, that all such modifications and changes becomprehended Within this invention, which is to be limited only by thescope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. A door opening and closing device comprising a lever adapted to bepivotally suspended from a relatively stationary member for swingingmovement in a vertical plane and cooperating means adapted to beswingably mounted upon a sliding door associated with said member, lugsprovided on said lever on opposite sides of the lever pivot, one of saidlugs being capable in suspended position of said lever of associationwith said means in the substantially horizontal position thereof toimpose substantially horizontal oppositely directed forces thereon andthe other of said lugs being capable in the substantially invertedposition of said lever of association with said means in thesubstantially horizontal position thereof to impose substantiallyhorizontal oppositely directed forces thereon.

2. A door opening and closing device comprising a lever, a slot formedin said lever adjacent one end thereof, said lever being adapted to beswingably and slidably suspended from a boss extending through said slotand carried by a relatively stationary member, lugs provided on saidlever adjacent to and on opposite sides of said ,slot and meanscooperable with said lever adapted to be swingably mounted upon asliding door associated with said member, one of said lugs being capablein the suspended position of said lever of association with said meansin the substantially horizontal position thereof to impose substantiallyhorizontal oppositely directed forces on said means and the other ofsaid lugs being capable of association with said means in thesubstantially horizontal position thereof when said lever has beeninverted and slid relative to said boss to impose substantiallyhorizontal oppositely directed forces on said means.

3. In a railway house car having a sliding door member and a relativelystationary member associated therewith, a lever pivotally mounted on oneof said members for swinging movement in a plane substantially parallelto said member, means pivotally mounted on the other of said members,said lever and said means cooperating to impart opening and closingmovements to said door member, said lever in one vertical position beingengaged with said means and operated from the ground to impart bothopening and closing movements to said door member, said lever ininverted position being engaged with said means and operated from aloading platform to impart both opening and closing movements to saiddoor member, the position of said means when in engagement with saidlever being substantially the same for both positions of the lever.

4. In a railway house car having a sliding door member and a relativelystationary member associated therewith, a lever mounted upon one of saidmembers for swinging movement in a plane substantially parallel to saidmember, means mounted for swinging movement upon the other of saidmembers, said lever when in a vertical position being releasably engagedwith said means in the substantially horizontal position thereof toimpart horizontal opening and closing forces to said door member, saidlever when released from said means being swingable to substantiallyinverted position, said lever when in said inverted position beingreleasably engaged with said means in the substantially horizontalposition thereof to again impart horizontal opening and closing forcesto said door member.

GABRIEL MADLAND,

